Sheet manufacturing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10272623-B2
Application number	US-201715686287-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2017
Priority date	Mar 30, 2015
Publication date	Apr 30, 2019
Grant date	Apr 30, 2019

Abstract

A sheet manufacturing apparatus includes an impeller mill defibrating, in a dry process, a raw material containing a fiber, a mixer mixing a defibrated material and a resin, using an air stream to produce a mixture of the defibrated material and the resin, a sieve having an opening through which the mixture passes, a belt, a heater, and a nozzle. The mixture is accumulated on an upper side of the belt to form a web. The heater heats the web to form a sheet so that the fiber is bonded by the resin. The nozzle is arranged between the belt and the heater and applies a liquid to a partial portion of the web so that bonding between the fiber and the resin in a first portion of the sheet is weaker than bonding between the fiber and the resin in a second portion of the sheet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet manufacturing apparatus comprising:
an impeller mill which defibrates, in a dry process, a raw material that contains a fiber;
a mixer which mixes a defibrated material that the impeller mill has defibrated and a resin, using an air stream to produce a mixture of the defibrated material and the resin;
a sieve having an opening through which the mixture passes;
a belt including an upper side on which the mixture which has passed through the opening is accumulated to form a web;
a heater which heats the web to form a sheet so that the fiber is bonded by the resin; and
a nozzle which is arranged between the belt and the heater and which applies a liquid only to a partial portion of the web so that the sheet, which is formed by the heater, has a first portion and a second portion, and bonding between the fiber and the resin in the first portion is weaker than bonding between the fiber and the resin in the second portion.

2. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a roller which pressurizes the web, the roller being arranged upstream, relative to the nozzle, in a transfer direction of the web, wherein
the nozzle applies the liquid to the web that the roller has pressurized.

3. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a roller which pressurizes the web, the roller being arranged downstream, relative to the nozzle, in a transfer direction of the web, wherein
the roller presses the web to which the liquid is partially applied.

4. The sheet manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the liquid contains water as a major component.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Higuchi Naotaka

Classifications

• B29D7/01 Primary

  Films or sheets · CPC title

• D21B1/06

  by dry methods · CPC title

• D21H23/28

  Addition before the dryer section, e.g. at the wet end or press section · CPC title

• B29C69/001

  a shaping technique combined with cutting, e.g. in parts or slices combined with rearranging and joining the cut parts (for reinforced material B29C70/545; B29C49/4278, B29C51/268 take precedence) · CPC title

• D21F7/04

  Paper-break control devices · CPC title